Floor Statements

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that, as if in executive session, the nomination of Arun Venkataraman, of the District of Columbia, to be Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Director General of the United States and Foreign Commercial Service received in the Senate May 27, 2021, be jointly referred to the Committees on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, June 9; that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed; further, that upon the conclusion of morning business, the Senate proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the Quraishi nomination.

Madam President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it stand adjourned under the previous order.

Madam President, the Senate returns to session with a busy and consequential work period ahead of it. We will consider landmark legislation to establish paycheck fairness, legislation to boost American innovation in the 21st century, and in the final week of June, legislation to protect voting rights and American democracy. The Senate will consider all three of these issues this month.

We will start by finishing the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, now known as the USICA Act. The bipartisan legislation will be the largest investment in scientific research and technological innovation in generations, setting the United States on a path to lead the world in the industries of the future. It includes the input of virtually everyone in this Chamber--a product of over six committees and dozens of amendments from our Republican colleagues.

Tomorrow, the Senate will consider a couple of final amendments before passing this historic legislation. It will be one of the most important things we will have done in a very long time. It will be the largest investment in scientific research and technological innovation in generations--decades.

Madam President, on judges, in addition, today and tomorrow, the Senate will confirm the first of President Biden's nominees to the Federal bench: Julien Xavier Neals of New Jersey and Regina Rodriguez of Colorado. I also look forward to confirming other highly qualified jurists later this work period, including Ketanji Brown Jackson to serve on the DC Circuit Court of Appeals. These are the first of many jurists that the Democratic Senate will consider to restore the balance to the Federal judiciary.

Under President Trump and Leader McConnell, the Senate became a conveyor belt for nearly 200 judges. Many were woefully inexperienced and far outside the judicial mainstream. Some were so extreme on issues of race and voting rights that even some of our Republican colleagues joined the Democrats in rejecting those nominations.

On the flip side, President Obama appointed 320 judges, and President Biden now has the opportunity to fill more than 80 vacancies. Under this Democratic majority, the Senate will swiftly and consistently confirm President Biden's appointments to the Federal bench, bringing balance, experience, and diversity back to the judiciary. Mr. Neals and Ms. Rodriguez are two great examples, along with Ms. Brown Jackson.

In the same vein, today, I also announced two judicial recommendations to President Biden: Myrna Perez, the director of voting rights at the Brennan Center for Justice, to serve on the prestigious Second Circuit Court of Appeals, and Dale Ho, the leader of the voting rights project at the ACLU, to serve on the Southern District of New York. Ms. Perez and Mr. Ho are two of the foremost voting rights and election experts in the country. With a national focus on voting rights right now, their elevation is timely, and their perspectives will be invaluable. Ms. Perez would also be the first Latina to serve on the Second Circuit Court since now-Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

Diversity on the Federal bench is very important to me, both demographic diversity and diversity of experience. The courts have long been packed with former prosecutors and corporate lawyers. It is about time that civil rights attorneys, voting rights attorneys, and Federal defenders start getting the nod. My recommendations of Ms. Perez and Mr. Ho are part of that effort.

Last month, I also recommended Eunice Lee, an appellate attorney with the Federal Defenders of New York, to serve as a judge on the Second Circuit. Lee could become just the second Black woman to sit on this prestigious appeals court, a court that has never--never--had a former Federal defender on its roster.

Just like Ms. Perez and Mr. Ho, Eunice Lee will bring demographic and professional diversity to the Federal bench. The three of them, in tandem, will bring dynamism, brilliance, and a real diversity of experience to courts in New York.

As a Senator from New York and as majority leader, I am intent on restoring balance to a judiciary that has been thrown out of whack by 4 years of President Trump's selections.

Madam President, finally, on paycheck fairness, tomorrow, the Senate will decide whether to take up legislation to address the gender pay gap.

Right now in America, women earn, roughly, 82 cents for every dollar a man makes. The gap is even wider for women of color. Even when you account for educational attainment, Black and Latina women earn only 65 to 70 percent of what a White man makes with the same degree, whether it is a bachelor's degree or an advanced degree. Many women with advanced degrees actually make less than their male counterparts who don't have them. So, looking at the facts, women with the same jobs, the same degrees--sometimes better degrees than their male colleagues-- are making less money. That is the very definition of gender discrimination, and it is holding back women in every industry and area of the country.

The pandemic has only made matters worse. Faced with impossible choices between careers and childcare, women have fallen out of the workforce at an alarming rate. By one measure, the COVID-19 pandemic has set women's labor force participation back by more than 30 years, leading some economists to describe the 2020 year not as a recession but as a ``she-cession.''

So there is a lot of work to do to not only recover from a devastating year for women in the workplace but also establish an equal playing field where women are paid what they deserve.

Senate Democrats have put forward a bill that would make it much easier for women to petition for pay equity. It doesn't mandate that employers set wages at a certain level. It doesn't have the government reach into the private sector. It merely makes it easier for women to overcome pay discrimination.

In my view, this straightforward, unobjectionable piece of legislation should merit bipartisan support and should not require changes. All 50 Democratic Senators are cosponsors of the bill--all 50. Will our Republican colleagues step up to the plate and join us tomorrow to advance this commonsense legislation?

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to legislative session for a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 67, S. Res. 229.

Madam President, I know of no further debate on the measure.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the preamble be agreed to and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs be discharged from further consideration of S. 1828 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration of S. 1502 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

I ask unanimous consent that the Cortez Masto substitute amendment at the desk be considered and agreed to; that the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed; and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be discharged from further consideration and the Senate now proceed to S. Res. 253.

I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Finally, Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m., Tuesday, June 8; that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed; further, that upon the conclusion of morning business, the Senate resume consideration of the Neals nomination postcloture; that at 11:30 a.m., all postcloture time expire; that following the cloture vote on the Rodriguez nomination, the Senate recess until 2:15 p.m. to allow for the weekly caucus meetings; further, that the postcloture time on the Rodriguez nomination expire at 3 p.m.; that the order of Friday, May 28, with respect to S. 1260 be executed immediately following the disposition of the Rodriguez nomination; that the cloture motion on the motion to proceed to H.R. 7 ripen following the disposition of S. 1260; and finally, that if any of the nominations are confirmed, that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Madam President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it stand adjourned under the previous order.

In a moment, the Senate will resume business. A few of our Republican colleagues may continue their speeches.

The Senate spent 2 hard weeks working on this bill, and many months before that. We have every intention of sticking it out until the job is done, and that is what we are going to do. I look forward to passing this historic and extremely bipartisan bill later today.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding rule XXII, at a time to be determined on Tuesday, June 8, the Senate resume consideration of S. 1260; that all postcloture time be considered expired and the Senate vote in relation to Cornyn amendment No. 1858; that if a Budget Act point of order is raised and a motion to waive is made following disposition of the Cornyn amendment, the Senate vote on the motion to waive; that if waived, the Senate vote on substitute amendment No. 1502, as amended; that the cloture motion with respect to S. 1260 be withdrawn; and that the bill be considered read a third time, the Senate vote on passage of S. 1260, as amended, if amended, with 60 affirmative votes required for passage, all with no intervening action or debate; further, that the Senate now vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to Calendar No. 60, H.R. 3233; that following the cloture vote, notwithstanding rule XXII, the Senate proceed to executive session, and the cloture motions with respect to Executive Calendar Nos. 111 and 134 be withdrawn, and the Senate vote on confirmation of the nominations in the order listed; that if confirmed, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action; finally, that following the disposition of Calendar No. 134, the Senate resume legislative session.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to use leader remarks and that Senators Klobuchar and Peters be permitted to speak for up to 2 minutes each before the vote.

Mr. President, now, let me just tell the public and the Members what this does. It is something we proposed. It assures that there is a vote on the January 6 Commission in the next hour. It assures that the vote occurs in the light of day, not at 3 in the morning.

It also assures that votes on the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act will occur and prevail as soon as we return in June.

This is a good solution because we get to vote on the Commission.

And let me just say this to my Republican colleagues and to the country: This Commission is desperately needed. What has been perpetrated by President Trump over the last several months is the Big Lie--the Big Lie that the elections were fixed, that he is rightfully President.

Nothing is more corrosive to our democracy than a view that elections are not on the level. Yet that has been propagated by Donald Trump and many of his allies.

A Commission can get to the bottom of this in a clear way. It is a bipartisan Commission. It is a down-the-middle Commission. There was significant Republican input by the Republican leader in the House and the Republican ranking member of the relevant committee.

So this is right down the middle. If our Republican friends vote against this, I would ask them: What are you afraid of? The truth? Are you afraid that Donald Trump's Big Lie will be dispelled? Are you afraid that all of the misinformation that has poured out will be rebutted by a bipartisan, down-the-middle Commission?

This is about a democracy. It is about the future of our democracy. The Big Lie has eroded that democracy, and we must do everything we can to rebut it. This is not a Democratic or Republican obligation. This is an American obligation.

Our democracy--our beautiful, more than-two-century-old democracy is at more risk because of the lies that have been perpetrated by President Trump and his allies than it has been in a very long time, and this Commission is a great antidote to that.

So I hope we can get broad support and move forward. I will speak more after the vote on this issue.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 130.